Iifa_Tree's Bio | Shop Home

Iifa_Tree

Location

Inianapolis, in, United States

Interests

Cosplay.

It's my first inspiration, and my most important. I do it every time I get the chance, and seeing others always gives me ideas on how I can do better, and new things I can try. And it's always been a dream of mine to make cosplay for others as well. To have people show off what I've made, without me saying 'lookatit, i made that!'.

Of course I'm into all things artsy as well. (Except I cannot draw, nor paint to save my life.) And I really do mean all things artsy. From cross stitching, to crocheting, to paper quilling, and jewelry. I have a wide variety of things I like to do, and I love to teach myself new things as well.

Skills and Techniques

Sewing; I use three different types of machines. A normal sewing machine, a serger, and an industrial sewing machine. I've somehow managed to use them all quite well, and even learned perimeter stitching on the industrial one. (Which is not easy, I must say.)
Resin; You need two things for resin, or three dependent on which kind you're using. Normal curing resin; time, resin, and hardener. UV resin; resin and uv light. The stuff isn't hard to figure out. Just...how you use it can be the hard part.
Needle Arts; Time and patience. Cannot stress that enough. Oh, and thread. That's a crucial part to the whole business.
Crocheting; I'm still a novice here. But I'm learning new things every time I try it.
Foam carving; Beware of the mess that is foam. Stuff gets EVERYWHERE you don't want it to. But if you have the right tools, you don't always need to worry about that. It's fun. Difficult, but fun.
Other random things; I just...take my time. Learning new things is hard, but when you put your mind to it, it's fun at the very least.

Get to Know

Geez, what do you write for something so important as this?

Well, let me start off by saying my art is my happiness, and my sanity. Without it, I don't know where I would be in life, but I can guarantee it wouldn't be in as good of a place as I am now.

This shop started off as something I never thought would get off the ground. Before all this, I was just a cosplayer with very good sewing skills. Then, at one convention, I met a very nice lady that told me people would buy the kind of things that I made. I went 'eh, maybe' but started off on my journey anyway. At first I only sewed things. Costumes, clothes, and little spiffy things. The response was a bit better than expected. Then I branched out. I started painting. (Painting objects, not actually painting. That I have no talent for doing ._.) But I made my little glowing faeries. They became a HUGE hit. I've sold them all around the world! Then I got started on jewelry. Bathbombs. Chapstick. Random things I would just think 'hey, I'd like that.' so maybe others would too. Some things were a hit, others, not so much.

But then I started selling at conventions! A whole new world was opened to me. Talking to people, meeting them face to face, selling them something that actually brought a smile to their face; that was something I could seriously get behind. Now I'm on my way to my fourth convention this summer to sell at one of the biggest cons in my state. It's like a dream come true, I must tell ya. There's an addiction to it, that I never would've guessed was there.

And the best thing, throughout all of this trial and error, I've learned good, solid life lessons, made great friendships, and have made people smile just by buying something I've made. Nothing in my life has been more...life affirming.